A known type of optical fiber management component is connectable to a trunk cable and includes a plurality of connectors having female receptacles. Multiple optical fibers from the trunk cable are fanned out inside the component and individually connected to the connectors. Male connectors can be plugged into the female receptacles to form a connection between a fiber optic cable attached to the male connector and one of the fibers of the trunk cable.
A modular fiber optic management component that may be mounted on a panel in a rack is sold under the trade name INSTAPATCH by the assignee of the present application. This component is essentially a metal case in which a fan-out assembly is mounted. The component assembly is a fixture constructed to hold a fan-out cable in a desired configuration with one end in a position to connect to a trunk cable and with the individual optical fibers ready to be connected to connectors. The fixture keeps the fibers organized and substantially prevents them from exceeding their minimum bend radius. Fan-out assemblies may be tested before they are incorporated into an assembly such as the fiber management component.
The management component also includes a housing supporting a plurality of connectors and one or more multiple path optical adapters. To produce the management component, the fan-out assembly is mounted in the housing, and ends of the fan-out cables are connected to the multiple path optical adapters and to the individual connectors. A suitable cover is then added to the housing to protect the fan-out assembly inside, and the component is tested again to help ensure that the assembly process has not damaged the delicate optical fibers. The component is then mounted in a panel in a rack, and one or more optical fiber trunk lines are attached to the multiple path optical adapters. Three such conventional management components mounted in a panel which is mountable in a conventional rack are illustrated in FIG. 8.
It is sometimes desirable to increase the density of fiber optic connectors such as the ones discussed above. However, the minimum bend radius of the optical fibers in the management component limits the minimum width of conventional management components, and for many products, only three management components can be mounted in the width of a conventional rack. It would therefore be desirable to provide an optical fiber management component having a reduced width without exceeding the minimum bend radius of the optical fibers fanned out therein.